Fine Says DeSantis' 'Petulance Isn't Worthy of a Response': Ireland Debate Fuels Republican Feud

TALLAHASSEE, FL—In an escalating dispute over Gov. Ron DeSantis' trip to Ireland, Trump ally Rep. Randy Fine rebutted DeSantis' "childish" comments, which followed DeSantis' accusation that Fine accepts money from "all the lobbyists".

"I think we’ve grown used to these childish responses to legitimate criticism by Governor DeSantis, and his petulance isn’t worthy of a response," Fine told The Floridian.

Soon after DeSantis announced he would go to Ireland for last Saturday's FSU v. Georgia Tech football game, Fine, the sole Jewish Republican in the state Legislature, kicked off the Republican-on-Republican disagreement by telling USA Today that he was "disappointed" to see people going to a country that he says "supports Muslim terror," considering Ireland recognized Palestine as a sovereign nation earlier this year.

At a press conference Wednesday afternoon in Winter Haven, a reporter asked DeSantis his response to Fine's criticism. His answer?

"I think about every lobbyist in Tallahassee made that trip, so is Rep. Fine going to stop taking the money from all the lobbyists like he's been doing?" DeSantis questioned. "I'd like to see his answer to that."

Fine said that while he has "no idea" what lobbyists DeSantis is referring to, he is standing by his quote to USA Today: "I don't think anyone should have gone to Ireland—I think the game should have been canceled," he said. "I don't know which lobbyists he's referring to, but I wasn't interested in going to Ireland to fundraise."

In May, Fine came after Ireland, Norway, and Spain after they promised to recognize Palestine as a state. A leading pro-Israel advocate, Fine promised to introduce legislation equating businesses supporting Palestine with those of Iran, North Korea, and Syria.

This isn't the first time the two Republican firebrands have made joint headlines. During DeSantis' now-failed presidential bid in 2023, Fine endorsed him for the commander-in-chief role. After the October 7th attack on Israel, however, he switched his endorsement to Trump, claiming DeSantis had done "almost nothing" to combat antisemitism following various anti-Jewish demonstrations.